Giving advice to callers with mental illness: adaptation among telenurses at Swedish Healthcare Direct

Purpose: Our aim was to describe Swedish Healthcare Direct (SHD) and its features as a complex system. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 SHD telenurses, covering their experiences and skills when encountering and advising callers with mental illness. Complexity science was used as an a priori theoretical framework to enhance understanding of the complex nature of telenursing. Results: SHD was described as a complex system as nurses were constantly interacting with other agents and agencies. During these interactions, dynamic processes were found between the agents in which the nurses adapted to every new situation. They were constantly aware of their impact on the care-seekers, and perceived their encounters with callers with psychiatric illness as “balancing on a thin line”. SHD was also described as both an authority and a dumping ground. The openness of the system did not give the nurses possibility to control the number of incoming calls and the callers’ intentions. Conclusions: These new insights into SHD have important implications for organization developers and nursing management in terms of overcoming linear thinking.